Are We Meant To Be?
by K17L53
Summary: set in the AU after canon!castle dies. AU!Beckett is in need of answers (a bit more than just answers) and tracks down AU!Castle. basically this is my first AU so be gentle. well, it basically AU!Caskett and how they get to the point of canon!caskett.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I can promise that this will in fact be multi-chapter. Also this is my first AU fic, so…be gentle but constructive criticism is always welcome._

**_Disclaimer: We've all been reading fanfics long enough to know how this goes. But just for the sake of it, I don't own any of this all rights go to Castle & Co._**

* * *

><p>"What the-" Kate Beckett cursed as Richard Castle's body began to disintegrate. After all, he was travelling between dimensions to his old one.<p>

Back at the precinct, it was another long, boring day. "Just paperwork and politics." Just as she had told Mr. Castle. Who was he though? How did he know her and where in hell was he now? Kate Beckett might not deem herself worthy of being a homicide detective but she knew she needed to get answers. So she turned to her computer and typed in a search, "Richard Castle".

Within a second, the computer spat out his details. More importantly, an address and a phone number. Was it worth looking into? Castle's last breath still stuck to the back of her eyelids and how he jumped in front of a bullet to save her life. The "Because I love you Kate." still ringing in her ears. She had called his place only to be told that Rick was just fine and to her surprise, writing. Richard Castle; her universe's Richard Castle hadn't written anything since that pathetic excuse of a book more than 5 years ago.

The other Richard Castle seemed to be doing well and have something nice going on with the other Kate Beckett. Her life hadn't turned out the way she'd hoped it to and maybe she could go over to his place and…no, that was stupid. Captain Beckett had a lot of paperwork to do and she didn't have time for anything other than work. That was the thing though, her life was boring, a little excitement couldn't hurt.

* * *

><p>Before she knew it, Beckett was knocking on Castle's front door. Regretting it the moment her knuckles touched the cold hardwood, she began to turn around and leave. Only the door opened and stopped her. It was Castle, alive and not bloody…and completely clueless. "Can I help you…?"<p>

"I'm sorry for bothering you, this was stupid." She apologized quickly and began to leave.

"Captain Beckett?" Castle asked, stopping her.

She turned around and looked at him questioningly.

"My mother said you called to make sure I was okay…?" he wasn't sure what that was about either. "And that she bailed me out from your precinct's holding…?"

Beckett nodded slowly, "Yeah,"

"Okay I guess." Castle said. "Only I don't remember the latter."

"Long story short, it wasn't you."

Castle looked at her questioningly.

"Not 'you' you."

"What?"

"Like I said it's a long story. I'm sorry I bothered you. I'll be on my way"

"No, no." He insisted. "You can't just start telling me something like that, get me all excited and confused and then leave."

"It's a long, confusing story. And it makes me sound crazier than I'd like to admit. Trust me, you don't wanna know."

"But I do, only more now 'cause you said I wouldn't wanna know. Also because you came here to tell me, you can't just leave without doing just that."

"What makes you think that's why I'm here?"

"Because 1. You have to tell it to someone who might actually at least consider believing you." He was now starting to sound more like the Richard Castle she had worked her case with. This also earned him a look from Beckett but Castle pretended to have not noticed and continued. "And 2. Why else would you be here?"

"You could be in trouble." Beckett suggested.

"Yes, but then I'd already be in handcuffs and the captain wouldn't have come to arrest me."

She gave him a slight nod, impressed.

"So, why don't you come inside and tell me?"

Beckett nodded in defeat and followed him to the living room where he led her to the couch. "Can I get you a drink?" he offered before sitting down on the couch opposite hers.

"No thanks, on the clock."

* * *

><p>And so Castle sat down and waited for her to start. Which she did. Kate told him everything. It felt nice to get it out of her system. She couldn't have said anything to the detectives Ryan and Esposito, now could she? Having them think their boss is crazy wasn't really something she wanted. Castle listened with intent, yes there were a few wiseass comments at the beginning but by the end of it, he seemed like an excited puppy.<p>

"So…you want to give a go at what he had with…the other you (?)" He asked once she had finished.

Beckett didn't answer. She did, she did want to give a go at what the other Castle and Beckett had. And her life was boring, even if this didn't lead to anything real, it would be better than what she had at the moment.

"I like the sound of that." Castle said. "Just one question: am I still a writer in that universe, if we're together?"

"Apparently, you are." She admitted without feeding his ego anymore.

"I'm in." He replied. "I'm kidding." He added quickly. "But if what you said is true, which I am crazy enough to believe is, I don't see a reason why we shouldn't." Beckett liked the sound of that.

"Did you say he died, the other me?" Castle asked.

Kate nodded before he continued, "Can I…see the body…?"

Beckett rolled her eyes subconsciously. "_You can't._"

"Worth a shot."

"_No I mean you can't. There is no body._"

"But you said he died."

"_He did._"

"So where's the body?"

"_Gone._"

"Gone?"

"_Gone. It disintegrated._"

"Wow…travelling between dimensions, back to his reality?" he suggested.

"Probably,"

* * *

><p>"Anyways, I should get going, I have a lot of work left." Beckett said after a few minutes and began to leave…only to turn on her heal as she reached the door to Castle's voice.<p>

"We should at least swap numbers."

"Right, right." Kate muttered, digging into her pocket and pulled out her card. "Why don't you give me a call sometime later tonight?" She said as she handed it to him.

"When do you get off?" he asked.

"I'm a bit behind so I'll probably be held up longer than I want to…nine at least."

"Okay, I'll be sure to distract you till then."

Disapproving glare. Hmm, he already liked her more than he thought he did, also she looked like a goddess, why would he be complaining? "Promise I won't."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Yay, I wrote the second chapter. Also I'll do my best to update at least once a week._

_**Disclaimer: Wait; do I need a disclaimer for every chapter?**_

* * *

><p>Back at the precinct, all Captain Beckett could think about was Richard Castle. What just happened? What was she thinking? Did she actually think this would lead to something? Of course not, she was smarter than that. Her subconscious, however, was not. The whisper at the back of her mind wouldn't let her work in peace, fantasizing about him. <em>No.<em> She told herself. _No, not now, not just yet. Work. Focus on that._ Beckett urged the little annoying voice. Only, it never liked listening to her.

With an annoyingly distracting mind, she dug in to the pile of paperwork building up at her desk. Within a few of hours, she had made her way over halfway through the pile with ease. Mugging gone wrong, jealous ex, murder suicide, drug deal gone wrong. As tragic as they might've been, Kate Beckett had seen them all. Frankly, they were boring.

But then…something she hadn't seen in a while, maybe never popped up. A little girl, no more than 5 years old, brutally stabbed to death. By her father nonetheless. According to the report, the child's parents were going through a bitter divorce and the poor little girl, Amy, was caught between a custody battle. From the looks of it, the mother seemed to be having better luck. The father, thinking that if he couldn't have her, no one should, killed her. The color drained out of Beckett's face as she flipped thorough the crime scene photos. Bloody and messy and the little girl definitely didn't die quickly. She was proved right as she turned to the M.E's report. Cause of death was blood loss; the father left his daughter, with numerous stab wounds, to bleed out to death. Times like this, Kate was glad she didn't have any kids.

* * *

><p>This one file had taken her too long to finish, finally closing it; she looked over to the few remaining files from what had been a pile. She could finish them at home, shouldn't take too long. Looking at the clock flashing on her desk; 10:03 it read, Beckett pulled out her bag from under her desk and put the files in. Wow, that was a long day. She couldn't wait to go home and get in bed. Maybe a warm shower…? Either ways, all she wanted right now was to be in the comfort of her apartment.<p>

"Hey," A familiar face greeted her as the elevator doors slid open.

"Castle?" She asked, baffled. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you'd be done by now so I thought…" He trailed off.

Beckett stepped inside the elevator with a questioning look and pressed the button.

"I thought we could grab dinner together."

That was sweet and a slight smile crept on to Beckett's face before she could tell her brain not to. "I can't, I'm sorry." She told him.

"Am I allowed to ask why?" He asked after a few seconds.

"I still have quiet a bit of paperwork left and they have to be done by tomorrow."

Reluctantly, Castle nodded with a quite sigh as the elevator stopped, "Alright, some other I guess."

"Or maybe…" Beckett started as she stepped out, followed by Castle. "You could come over to my place and we could get some take-out?"

"Yeah we could do that." Castle was a little confused because when he had first asked her, she said no and it was kind of implied that she wanted to be alone for the night and now something had changed her mind. Not that he was complaining, but being the writer he was, he was curious.

She picked up on it, "Something came up and I just don't wanna be alone right now." The last file was still haunting her; the bloody crime scene photos, the little girl, her eyes wide open in shock, staring at nothing.

"Can I ask what it was?" Castle asked as he got into the passenger side of her car.

Kate hesitated a little before even considering her answer. "It was a case."

"I thought you only had paperwork." Castle's response followed the almost simultaneous soft slams of the doors closing.

"Right." She said. "That was paperwork, going through case files."

Castle nodded and stopped at that. It was more than clear that she didn't feel like talking about it…at least not right now. So he redirected the conversation to mundane things and Beckett played along, anything to take her mind off. Although Chinese was her favorite, pizza sounded better tonight. Castle called in to place their order, which would be delivered a little after they reached her place.

* * *

><p>"I think there's beer…somewhere," Beckett said as they stepped through the threshold into her apartment and gestured to the kitchen, setting her bag down by the coffee table. "Make yourself at home, I'm just gonna change into something a bit more comfortable."<p>

Castle nodded as he walked towards the kitchen and Beckett made her way to her bedroom.

Kate sighed as she sat down on her bed. What was happening? Why was he here? Since when was a case file too much for her to handle that she needed someone to accompany her that night? Slightly annoyed with herself, she couldn't help but smile because this is the first time there was someone that she could talk to about her day and the terrible case files without them shutting her up with a "Let's not talk about work." It's very little wonder why her past relationships were never anything serious.

Beckett got herself up and walked over to her closet, opening it, she stood in front of it as she stripped down and contemplated what to wear…a t-shirt and a pair of sweats seemed reasonable. She'd probably be in bed by now if she hadn't brought him along. Not that she didn't want him here; the last thing she wanted right now was to be alone and she wasn't really sure why but she was tired. Yes, the crime scene photos weren't the prettiest things to look at and that definitely wasn't the most pleasant file she had to read all night. Maybe she was just tired of being alone. After all, a person could be alone for only so long. She could do a lot worse than Castle. He seemed like a decent guy and after everything with the other Castle, it felt…right somehow.

* * *

><p>There was a knock at the front door a few minutes before Beckett stepped out of the bathroom.<p>

"Hey," she said as she walked over to Castle and sat down on the rug by the coffee table. The couch was on her left as well as behind her. Castle was somewhere in between that, his right knew almost touching her shoulder.

"Eat first, and then you can work." He said as he got up to grab the pizza box from the kitchen counter.

"I can multitask." She said distractedly, looking at a file, a pen twirling between her fingers.

"Not when I'm around. Take a break, you've been working the past few hours straight." He said, gently nudging her by the shoulder as he sat back down.

The twirling stopped. And she contemplated it for a couple of seconds. "Yeah, alright." She finally said, pushing herself of the floor and on to the couch, sitting down next to him.

* * *

><p><em>AN: The apartment thing was bothering me a bit because if she never met Castle, her old one would never have been blown up so I'm not so sure, but for the sake of it, imagine this as her current one. I'm more familiar with it's placement._


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Updates every Friday/Saturday sound alright? Bare with me. I don't really know what I'm doing. And thanks for all the follows and favorites and reviews. It really does give me a confidence boost and actually make me write._

_I'm trying to stay consistent with their development and character in general but IT'S SO HARD because now the canon!caskett is married and together and all that and writing season 7 timeline Castle and Beckett as baby!caskett is the hardest thing ever. Also I am still not over Frozen. __Is anyone though?_

_**Disclaimer: …?**_

* * *

><p>Beckett wasn't too hungry. Loss of appetite came hand in hand with the job. But it was a long and tiring day, she could use the carbs. Besides, there was no way Castle was going to let her off without dinner. But there was no way she could down more than one slice without wanting to throw up, it was unusual but the crime scene photos made her iron stomach turn. With that done, she went back to her paperwork, the only thing she actually wanted to do tonight, yes, she despised it but nevertheless, it was a distraction and that is what she needed. Castle was happy to stay company…and just talk to her really. It was a refreshing change from the almost too quiet apartment.<p>

* * *

><p>"Done," Beckett said as she closed the file she was working on and rubbed her eyes.<p>

"Tired?" Castle asked the obvious. "Do you wanna to bed; we could call it a night."

"Tired…yes. Sleepy…not really." She replied as she pushed herself back on to the couch. "Anything on TV? I could use a distraction."

"Distraction from what?" He asked, turning slightly to face her. "Is it the case you told me about?"

"Yeah," She replied with a slight nod. "I don't think I'm going to get much sleep tonight."

"But you're clearly tired."

"Yeah, but that doesn't really matter."

"Yes, it does. You have work in the morning and it's…" He checked his watch, "…almost midnight."

Beckett just shrugged. That wasn't unusual. She'd gone to work on less than 3 hours of sleep at times. Why? She didn't really know, some nights her mind just wouldn't let her sleep. Maybe with just random thoughts or sometimes with painful memories. The least common reason for being sleep deprived, however, was nightmares. She rarely ever dreamt, last time was…after the bloodbath she was called in to investigate.

"I'll be fine." She promised as she pulled her legs up and settled in next to him.

Castle tested the water by moving slightly closer to her, she didn't seem to mind, so he went with it. "_Frozen_'s on if you're up for that."

"Yeah that's fine." _Why was it even on at this time?_ was the only thought that went through her head. Surely there weren't too many kids awake right now and not like their parents needed to listen to _Let it Go_ anymore than they already had to.

It hadn't been long since the movie had started when Castle flipped back to the channel. No more than 10 minutes because Anna was still singing '_Do You wanna Build a Snowman?_' It might not be the easiest thing to admit to but Kate had watched it more than once. It was just that good. And she always had a soft spot of animations. No matter how old she was, they were always one of her favorites. It felt a little awkward to be a full grown adult watching it in the theater without a minor accompanying her.

The songs weren't particularly something that would put you to sleep but Idina Menzel's voice and the rhythmic music of '_Let it Go_' was enough to finally pull her under. Plus, the comfort of someone's arm around her always helped. Kate hadn't thought she'd get much sleep tonight. The _last_ thing she thought of was falling asleep to _Let it Go_ with Castle's arm around her shoulder.

* * *

><p>Nearing the end of the movie, they had moved closer to each other, Castle finally noticed. Somehow, his arm was around her shoulder and her head was resting on his chest. He wasn't complaini-…hold on a second. Huh, she was asleep. He wasn't sure when that happened because Disney's animations can be a bit distracting, especially this one. <em>So…what am I supposed to do?<em> He thought. Whatever it was, he decided, could wait another 15 minutes, till the movie ended.

He didn't really want to wake her up. But her neck was in an awkward position which would hurt the next morning. And no one knew that better than the man who had fell asleep on his laptop countless times. Instead of waking her up, he slowly moved away and helping her lay down on the couch. Kate probably wouldn't be able to go back to sleep if he woke her up now. He grabbed the blanket draped over the back of the couch and put it on her.

Castle found a stack of post-its on the coffee table and scribbled her a note "Get some sleep, you need it. Maybe give me a call in the morning? Oh and don't worry I locked the door, I noticed there were two sets of key, so one of them's with me :)". With that stuck to her bag, he kissed her softly on the cheek and left.

* * *

><p>Kate woke up to a dark and quiet living room. She must've fallen asleep but…wasn't Castle here? That couldn't have been a dream. Standing in a pool of blood…? That could be a dream. But falling asleep to Let it Go with Castle's arm around her…you know what, that could easily have been the dream. <em>Let it Go? Castle? …what? I should really cut down my hours.<em>

She sat up and turned her phone's flashlight on as she made her way to the light switches. Walking back to the couch a small piece of yellow on her black work bag caught her eye. It was a note. _Castle._ Reading it over, she finally convinced herself that all that indeed happened and wasn't just a dream.

Taking the note's advice, she walked to her bedroom. "Maybe give me a call in the morning?" There wasn't really a maybe there. She was liking where this was headed, something she hadn't had in a while, a relationship or whatever you wanted to call it that wasn't solely physical.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Question(s): So when did Beckett exactly make Captain in this AU? Up till season 2, she was great at her job as a detective…season 3-ish…? But then what happened to Capt. Montgomery? Did her retire or something? The precinct being in good hands and all…?_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Apologies for the crappy chapter 3, I did try to improve it but nothing really happened, so chapter 4's slightly longer and hopefully better because I am actually happy with this one. So I hope that makes up for ch 3. _

_Also time jump…which really isn't my thing 'cause I have the tendency to drag things out to the minute. So time jump…my attempt at it anyways._

* * *

><p>It had been just over two weeks since they've been…together…? Beckett wasn't sure whether that was the right word to use. Not that she was losing interest in him. It was just…what were they doing? Two weeks and the furthest they've gone is making out in bed. <em>Maybe that was that a good thing, not jumping into bed the first chance they got?<em> She couldn't help but think. The only time they get to spend with each other was every couple of nights. She had work and Castle…didn't really have anything to do so it was mostly her work that held them back.

"As much as I enjoy our nights together," Castle had said to her sometime last week…last Wednesday, probably, "let me take you out on a real date."

Kate liked their nights together as well. It was just the two of them watching TV, quiet and relaxing, she liked that after a long, boring day at the precinct. But Castle was right; it was only a matter of time, really. She considered his offer for a second before answering, "Yeah, alright."

The smile appeared on his face in a flash of a second. Beckett would never say it out loud but there was nothing more adorable than Richard Castle's smile. She couldn't help but smile back. "Great, this Friday, I'll pick you up at eight."

Only she couldn't make it. Not that she didn't want to but something came up over at 1PP and she had to be there. There was nothing more boring than having to Friday night discussing budget cuts and case clearance rates. To her surprise, the homicide division of her precinct seemed to have the highest case closure rate.

"It was higher when you were still in the field." One of them had said to her.

She did miss it. The satisfying feeling when they caught the killer, when she was able to bring justice to a family…but never to herself. _No, not going there,_ she stopped herself. Not thinking about it didn't change the fact that she was never able to bring her mother's killer to justice. Yes, Beckett had moved on…but that didn't change anything. So when this wasn't going anywhere and there was an opportunity to move up along the ladder, she went for it. There was no reason not to.

When she told Castle something had come up, he was okay with it. "Don't worry about it. Maybe next week." Kate had expected him to be at least a little disappointed, but he was…understanding. Castle knew what her work meant to her, it was a part of who she was and if they were going to be together, he had to be okay with that. And he was.

So they rescheduled for the upcoming Friday. But it seemed she couldn't make it tonight either. Since day before yesterday, there's been a very creative and determined killer on the loose. Two days and already two victims. His M.O. was definitely one of the most bizarre ones Beckett has ever come across. The victims were stripped down then partially skinned; only their upper backs, carved out like wings. They didn't know what it was supposed to mean because the first victim was a mess, sprawled on the floor like any ordinary murder. The second victim was a mess too, only she was put on display. Laid down on her living room floor, arms crossed over her chest and the removed skin; which, then they realized were meant to be angel wings, spread out from beneath her. Both the victims had been killed before they were skinned. Both in their apartments, in completely different parts of town, who were also so different from one another they might as well be from different worlds.

Beckett was always called in for the weird ones. That was the only thing that could take her back on the field, "They reveal more." She had said once Detective Esposito asked her why she liked the unusual ones. But now, she was only frustrated and slightly pissed off because everything they looked in to happened to be a dead end. Kate didn't want to cancel on Castle again tonight. They've both been looking forward to it all week. Yes, they've seen each other but…she was a little excited about this, it would be their first _real_ date. And her first real date in…she doesn't even remember.

* * *

><p>Beckett stood in front of the almost bare murder board leaning against her old desk. They didn't have much to go on. Only that the victims were very different and it seemed as though the killer was practicing. The first victim was a mess; the victim yesterday was slightly less of a mess. It didn't feel like he was done but nothing remotely bizarre came in today. She was lost in her thoughts when her phone suddenly buzzed in her pocket.<p>

Smiling at the caller ID, she answered, "Hey,"

"Hey," Castle said back. "You still at the station?"

Beckett sighed, "Yeah, this case is going nowhere." It was already 6:30.

"Beckett if the case is holding you up we can do this some other time, I don't mind, really." He didn't mind, just like last week he didn't mind. He knew her work was important to her. And this was a lot more important than what had come up last week.

Kate thought for a second before she replied, "I'll let you know in an hour, I'm trying to wrap it up for the night."

* * *

><p>It was 7:25 when she called him back and asked him to pick her up from the precinct instead of her place. There was a dress in one of the cabinets in her office for emergency undercover operations. The last time she needed it was…three years ago. <em>Wow, it's been that long?<em> She pondered as she pulled it out. It was a simple and elegant black dress. Strapless and hugged her curves just right. _It'll do._

"Captain?" Ryan asked uncertainly as Beckett walked out of her office and into the bullpen. He hadn't meant it as a question but that's how it came out. He always looked up to her. Up until the moment she became captain, they were all pretty close, Kate and Javi and he. But then something happened, she drifted away; it was like she had become a different person. One day she's like a sister and the next she's their boss and nothing more.

"Did we miss something?" Detective Esposito almost snapped at her. Ryan might've been happy for Beckett making captain and moving up the ladder but Espo never let it go. He didn't let go how she cut them out of her life and pretended like they were nobody to her. And now she was all dressed up to go out while they had this case to solve?

"Umm, I'll be back in a couple of hours." Beckett started.

"But we have work." Espo reminded her.

"And at the moment we don't have any leads. Did you guys even go home last night?" The boys just shook their heads. "Well call me if you find anything, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem."

"Bu–" Espo tried to protest again, only to be cut of by Ryan.

"Sure thing, Capn'. It's been a slow day anyways."

Beckett smiled at him with a slight nod as Castle walked up behind her, "You ready?"

She turned on her heel with a smile that only ever made an appearance for him. "Yes."

"You're going out with him?" Espo snapped as she they linked arms only to be followed by a hiss from Ryan in an attempt to stop him.

"Is there a problem detective?" Beckett asked, turning around to face him.

"Don't." Ryan warned Espo. "We'll call you if something pops up. Go on, Beckett, we got this." She was still the same person to Ryan, maybe they weren't as close as they used to be but she was still the same person. He mouthed a sorry as Beckett nodded with a half smile.

* * *

><p>"I sense a little tension." Castle said as the elevator doors closed after them.<p>

"I don't even know." Beckett replied, clearly annoyed.

"Hey, don't let it get to you." He told her. "Don't think about it too much. Tonight it's just the two of us, okay?"

"Okay." She agreed with a smile and kissed him softly.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Getting all the little email alerts makes me so happy; all the favorites and follows and reviews. …I don't know what to say. Just know that I'm smiling while I write this little author's note thing and that every time someone favorites it or follows it…it makes my day. I'm glad you guys like it. And well, thank you._

* * *

><p>The night was going alright. It felt nice to get out of the precinct and away from that horrid case they'd been working on. But it still lingered at the back of her mind. The victims, the way they were being used as practice dummies. <em>What was he planning? Was he preparing himself for someone special? <em>Beckett's mind was clouded with one too many thoughts, she was barely even paying any attention to Castle. She knew he was talking but not really sure what about.

"Hey," Castle put his hand over hers trying to get her attention.

"Hmm," She looked up blinking hard a couple of times, trying to clear her head.

"Something wrong?" He seemed more concerned than annoyed.

Kate shook her head gently, "No, everything's fine."

"You've barely touched your food." He noticed.

"Not hungry." It came out more as a question than a statement.

Castle didn't say anything, waited for her to keep going. Softly dropping her fork on the plate, she continued, "It's just this case. After staring at those crime scene photos all day, its not easy to keep the food down."

* * *

><p>He had noticed her throughout the night; rubbing the back of her neck, straining to keep her eyes open…she was tired, worn out, "Do you have to go back to the station?" He asked after he had paid the bill.<p>

"Yeah," Kate replied rubbing her forehead.

She needed to sleep; she hadn't gone home last night, called him to let him know not to worry because she was working late. And when he had called her he in the morning she was still at the precinct. "Kate, you need to sleep." Castle was worried. There was only so much a person could handle. Pushing herself was one thing and working herself to the ground was another. And it seemed, Beckett didn't know her limit…or didn't want to stop at it, anyways.

"A cup of coffee and I'll be fine." She told him with a reassuring smile.

"You're worn out. Get some rest and start fresh tomorrow morning."

"Everyone else on this case is tired and worn out Castle, I can't just call it a night." Just then her phone buzzed. Beckett pulled it out of her purse and sighed at the caller ID, it was Detective Ryan. "Beckett," she answered.

"Sorry to bother you, Captain." He started.

"That's fine, we were just leaving. And for the first time ever, Ryan, you had good timing." She joked, but it wasn't really a joke, Ryan had the worst timing ever.

He told her that there had been another murder. Only…it was displayed better. Beckett didn't like the sound of that. Neither did Castle, he was having a hard time convincing her to go home and sleep but this just made it more impossible; desperately, Castle shot her a look of disapproval which clearly let his concern show.

"Hey, Ryan." Beckett said as she noticed Castle. "Last stop for tonight. Why don't we call it a night after examining the crime scene?" With that they hung up and she turned to Castle. "Happy?"

"Yes," He answered with a sense of relief and victory.

* * *

><p>The crime scene was an alley only three blocks from where they were so Castle decided to drop her off and hoped to catch a glimpse of the body… which he did; it was visible to anyone a block away. The victim was a male, in his early 40's, strong build. Same as the previous two murders, his upper back was partially skinned and this time the killer did a better job at displaying the body. His body was mounted up on one of the sides of the alley, feet bound together and arms stretched apart, as though nailed to a cross. Then there were the…wings. The last victim has laid flat on her back and the 'wings' were sprawled out from beneath her. But this time, the skin from his back, meant to resemble wings, were held up using cables making him look almost like an angel. Castle couldn't put his finger on it but he had seen this somewhere.<p>

"Hey," Beckett leaned in to the window to the driver's seat. "Stop gawking at my crime scene, you're not even supposed to be here."

She had expected a smile or a comeback but he just slightly turned his head to look at her, "I've seen this somewhere."

Her face changed, "I thought the same thing but we've run it through every database, it doesn't pop up anywhere."

Castle reverted his eyes to the 'bloody angel' as he could hear the crime scene techs calling him. "I don't know, it just…looks familiar." Turning back to Beckett, "If you're not gonna go back to the precinct tonight, I can wait for you."

"Nice try Sherlock, you're just looking for an excuse to hang around with the dead guy." He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out so he gave up. "Why don't you go over to my apartment, I'll meet you there."

Castle agreed and Beckett told him she wouldn't be too late as she leaned forward for a small kiss.

"So…" was the first thing she heard as she ducked under the crime scene tape and began to walk over to the M.E who was waiting for her before they brought the body down, it was Detective Esposito.

"So…?" She rephrased it as a question.

"Now he drops you of at crime scene."

"We were together and it was on his way, so yeah." She said casually before she realized what he had meant. "Is there a problem, detective?"

Espo had just opened his mouth to say something when Dr. Parish beckoned them. Dr. Lanie Parish was their usual O.C.M.E and the closest Beckett had to a best friend.

After examining how the killer had displayed the body, they took it down. "Where's Ryan?" She asked.

"With the uniforms, they were canvassing the area." Espo replied.

"Alright, well why don't we call it a night? I promised Ryan we would. So, go home, get some sleep and I'll see you guys at the station tomorrow.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Again, not particularly happy with this chapter either. And I guess it's smaller than the previous ones. I'll do my best to make sure the next chapter's better written._


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I feel like my writing is getting worse with every passing chapter. So, umm…sorry about that. _

* * *

><p>Kate returned home about an hour later. Only she couldn't stay, on her way back, Ryan had called her to inform her that he had gotten an ID on the victim as well a possible suspect. Two weeks ago, the victim had a falling out with a Dr. Whitehall, who just so happened to be a surgeon with a history of violence. Distant history, but violent nonetheless. Although the boys had told her they can take care of it and will call her if it led to anything, there was no way in hell Beckett was going to sleep through that. This was the best (<em>only<em>) lead they've had since the first murder. And if this Dr. Whitehall didn't pan out to be the killer, with a murder every day, there would be another one probably by the time she woke up the next morning.

"Hey," Castle greeted as she walked in to the living room.

"I have to head back to the precinct." She said as she made her way to her bedroom to get a change of clothes.

"Wait, what?" Castle asked, confused as he followed her. "What happened to calling it a night after the crime scene?"

"That was before I knew we had a suspect." She replied as she walked up to him and turned around, facing him with her back. "Unzip." Kate said, pulling her hair away from her back.

"Right, yeah." He mumbled as he unzipped her dress as Kate let it fall on the floor and stepped out.

Yeah, they haven't really done anything yet but Kate has changed in front of him more than once. It's nothing he hadn't seen before…but there was something about her, something about the way her body moved and the way it looked in the dim bedroom light that never failed to take his breath away.

"Castle, stop staring." She said as she pulled a t-shirt over her head, breaking Castle's train of thoughts.

"I assure you, my intentions are pure."

"Sure they are." Beckett said mockingly stepping into her pants.

Walking over to him, she leaned in for a short kiss. "Look, I'm really sorry; I know we had other plans for tonight."

"Did we?" He asks with a cocked eyebrow.

She shot him a look, which was more than enough to shut him up. "I'll make it up to you."

"I'll hold you on for that one." He said. "But I'm worried about you." Castle said snaking his arms around her waist and interlocking his fingers behind her. "You're working yourself to the ground. You need to sleep. A few hours at least."

"I'm fine." She reassured him. "And I'll get all the sleep I need after closing this case."

Castle sighed in defeat. Yeah, there was no way of convincing her to take the night off. "Why don't I come along?" he asked. "I'm willing to bet that there's barely anyone at the station right now. And even if they are, it's not like you have to answer to your boss for bringing me along."

She smiled at him. "And why would I let you tag along?"

He shrugged, "To keep you company…?"

"Ryan and Esposito are there."

"Yeah, and they hate me…" Castle trailed off. "I could get you coffee. And I'm a fresh set of eyes; maybe I'll find something you guys missed."

"Yeah, alright." Beckett agreed. As much as she hated to admit it, they needed all the help they could get on this case. And a fresh set of eyes is always welcome.

* * *

><p>She was like a tigress in there. If he was ever a murder suspect, Castle thought to himself, he wouldn't want Captain Beckett to be his interrogator. It was like seeing a completely different person; fierce and determined and well…kinda scary. He had to admit it though; it was pretty hot.<p>

"She's the best." Ryan walked in to the room as he watched her through the magic mirror.

"Yeah, I wouldn't wanna be in his shoes." Castle motioned towards Dr. Whitehall. He didn't bother introducing himself to Ryan, according to Beckett; Detective Kevin Ryan has already met him. Well the boys have met the other Richard Castle but that wasn't a story he wanted to share.

"What are you doing here anyways?" Esposito asked, leaning against the doorframe, Castle noticing for the first time that he was there.

He shrugged in response. "I offered to come along; fresh set of eyes. Maybe I'll see something you guys missed."

"Yeah because you're the trained professional." Espo replied bitterly.

Castle tilted his head. "Did I say or do something that ticked you off?"

"You tell me." He started. "You just waltz in here, talking all kinds of crazy and now you're dating the captain?"

Castle squinted slightly in confusion. "Yeah…I guess."

Esposito opened his mouth to say something when Beckett walked in. "I don't think he's our guy."

"How come? I thought he didn't have an alibi." Ryan asked.

"Exactly. Our killer's been really careful with these murders. I don't think he'd not have an alibi prepared." She replied.

"Maybe he thought no one would get this far so he didn't bother." Castle suggested.

"I don't know." She said rubbing the back of her neck as she looked at the two detectives, "Put him in holding. We can hold him till someone else shows up." They nodded and Beckett continued. "Then call it a night. I'll stay back; see if I can find anything else. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

* * *

><p>It was proving to be a long night. Three murders meant a lot more paperwork than Castle had thought. M.E's reports, crime scene reports, victims' personal information…it was exhausting going through them all. Beckett's desk was covered in paper and Castle was on the couch in her office with a laptop from the tech room. They were on their third mug of what the 12th seemed to call coffee. It had to have been the worst coffee Castle had ever tasted. "It tastes like monkey peed in battery acid." He had told Beckett.<p>

"Remember how I told you the crime scene looked familiar?" He started.

"Yeah," Kate replied. "It seemed a little familiar to me as well. Why, did you find something?"

"Beckett do you watch _Hannibal_?" He asked, catching her off guard.

"Umm…" She started in confusion. "…Yeah, but I don't see how that's relevant."

"It is. Because that's where you've seen it."

"What?" He wasn't making much sense right now.

"The murders, the victim's backs skinned and strung up to make it look like angel wings. That happened on _Hannibal_." When Beckett didn't reply, he continued, "Season 1 episode 5, Coquilles. They found a couple in the motel room; they were posed to make it look like they were praying…ring a bell?"

Beckett's eyes had widened slightly as Castle told her what he found, "Yeah, yeah it does. How did you find it?"

"I'm a writer; I look for information in the most unlikely places." He replied with a shrug.

"But I don't think that'll get us anywhere. I'm willing to bet countless fans _do_ in fact think that they can get away with murder."

Castle nodded.

"But maybe…" Beckett started, "Maybe this can help us find his next victim before him."

"Doesn't seem likely because in the show, the killer only killed two people before killing himself the same way. I'll see if I can find anything." He said as he went back to the screen.

* * *

><p>A couple of hours had passed since the last time Castle had looked up from his borrowed computer's screen. His eyes were burning, both from lack of sleep and staring at light all this time. The first thing he noticed looking around was that Kate had fallen asleep, her arms crossed over her desk and her head resting on them. Deciding not to wake her up because then she'd go back to work, he walked over to her. Castle took Kate's jacket, which was hung at the back of her chair, and put it over her back as a makeshift blanket. He too was straining to keep his eyes open, instead of leaving; he decided the couch was good enough for the reminder of the night.<p>

* * *

><p><em>AN: And what was that last episode's ending? We don't DO midseason cliffhangers. Caught me so off guard._


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Not much happens but I feel like I did an alright job with this chapter._

* * *

><p>Waking up the next morning, Castle realized that Kate was still asleep. It was still pretty early because there were only a handful of people at their desk in the bullpen. Instead of waking her up, he thought it'd be best to get her a cup of coffee first. <em>Not this crap.<em> Castle thought to himself, the awful taste still lingering in his mouth. There was a little café a block down from the precinct, their coffee wasn't the best but anything was better than the thing they had here.

With a Grande skim latte, two pumps sugar free vanilla for Beckett and a Cappuccino for himself; he walked back in to her office. She was awake and buried in the paperwork again. "Hey," he greeted her as he set the cup down on her table.

"Hey," She looked up with a smile.

"You didn't go home last night?" Kate noticed he was wearing the same outfit as last night once he sat down on the couch across the room as she took a sip from her cup.

"You were asleep by the time I turned the computer off, so I didn't bother." He replied.

"You can go home, Castle. You don't have to stay here and watch me do paperwork."

"I don't mind. Besides, don't you have the guy?"

"Not sure he _is_ our gu-" Before Beckett could even finish, her phone buzzed.

"Who was it?" Castle asked once she had hung up.

"There's been another murder. Same M.O." She told him as she stood up and slipped into her jacket.

"Can I come along?" He asked, looking at her with those blue puppy dog eyes.

"Alright fine. Just don't get in the way."

* * *

><p>The crime scene was only 2 blocks away so they thought it'd be quickest to walk. Upon arriving, it was the victim's apartment building. …Only it wasn't inside the apartment. They were greeted by detectives Ryan and Esposito as they walked over to the elevator. Dr. Parish was standing next to what appeared to be their victim. She was posed exactly like their previous guy in the alley. Only this time mounted on the elevator wall opposite the door. The killer was getting more confident. Killing someone in their own apartment and then displaying the body in the elevator? That was a lot of risk the killer was willing to take.<p>

"Female, early 30's, slim build, 5ft 5, blonde." Ryan read out from the file he was holding.

"Same cause of death?" Beckett asked.

"Not quiet." Lanie said as she turned around to face them. "Tag along?" She asked motioning towards Castle who was looking at the body.

"He gets excited about dead bodies so yeah." Beckett replied. "How'd she die then?"

"From shock…and blood loss. The killer didn't strangle her prior to giving her these…wings like he had done with the previous victims. She was alive and conscious when he did it. Then her body went into shock and you know how that goes."

"Who found the body? Must've been a shock." Castle asked.

"This isn't a joke bro." Esposito spoke for the first time since they'd arrived as Beckett and Lanie almost simultaneously rolled their eyes.

* * *

><p>Upon reaching the precinct, Beckett filled the team working on the case in on what Castle had discovered about the killer's M.O. They too agreed that it wouldn't get them too far but it was better than nothing. This murder also meant two things, "Either Whitehall isn't our killer or he has an accomplice." She assigned detective Esposito to talk to him and see if he was willing to talk.<p>

It was a long day at the precinct, with nothing to show for. After talking to their suspect, Dr. Whitehall, it was clear that he really didn't know anything about the murders. Yes, he had a grudge against the victim in the alley but other than that, nothing pointed at him to be the killer or be connected to it somehow. Around midnight, they decided to wrap it up and start fresh tomorrow. Only thing the precinct hoped for was to stop the killer before he killed again tomorrow. Beckett was tired and so was Castle so they headed back to her place for some well deserved sleep.

* * *

><p>Kate's phone woke them up early the next morning. "Beckett," she answered.<p>

"We got another one." She said with a disappointing sigh as she turned to face Castle.

"That was faster than usual."

"Yeah." She agreed. "It's only a block down, come on."

The killer was getting bolder and more confident. Two murders in less than 24 hours and both displayed so elaborately. Their newest victim was pinned to the ceiling of a convenient store. Same as all the other ones skinned back and sprawled out to make them look like wings. Only this time, there was something different. The killer had carved something on the victim's chest. "You're next."

"Male, early 20's, strong build, 5'8", no ID on him either." Ryan told them as they walked over.

"Anything else to help us find out who the killer's talking about?" Beckett asked. Ryan and Esposito just shook their heads. "Who found the body?"

"Store employee. No one was supposed to be here till tomorrow but he forgot his phone here last night." Esposito told her.

"Was it meant for him?" Castle asked.

"Don't think so, it's a 19 year old kid."

* * *

><p>After a closer inspection of the body and talking to Dr. Parish, the team went back to the precinct. "He'll disappear." was the first thing Beckett said to her team in the bullpen. "He's closing in on his target. All the previous murders were just practice runs for him. After his next murder, he'll disappear; we can't let that happen. He's killed 5 people already and they didn't mean anything to him. Let's not let him reach his 6th."<p>

Castle stuck around throughout the day, doing his best to help. Around 10pm, he called it a night saying there wasn't anything else for him to help out with and as much as he hated to admit it, he could use some sleep. "I don't know how you do this for a living." He said as he kissed her goodnight before he left.

A few hours later, they decided to call it a night as well. There wasn't anything they hadn't checked so far, no stone left unturned and yet, there was no progress. The only thing they could do was hope that the killer wasn't done by the time they returned the next morning. "I'll see you guys tomorrow morning." Beckett said as the boys left and she gathered a few of the case notes to take along with her.

* * *

><p>Castle was alone in front of his laptop trying to find something they might've missed. Kate had texted him letting him know that she was on her way home but he knew that didn't mean she was going to sleep. He didn't blame her, he couldn't either.<p>

What was the connection? Were the victims really random? Or was there something else to it? Why were they left where they were left? Was there anything special about those places? From his years as a writer, Castle realized that the best way to progress was to ask himself the questions the readers would, if this was a book, while reading it. Most of the time, he had an answer but tonight…nothing. _Wait_. He thought. Maybe there was something special about the places the bodies were dumped. They all seemed random but was there a pattern? …_Kate_. The murders kept getting closer to her then current location. Murder 1; she was at his place picking up a jacket she'd left, he wasn't even home, the body was at an apartment 5 blocks away. Murder 2; she was at the coroner's office and the murder was 4 blocks away. Murder 3; they were out for dinner, 3 blocks away. Murder 4; yesterday morning at the precinct, 2 blocks down in the apartment's elevator. Murder 5; Kate was at her place and the convenient store they found the body was, was just a block away.

_So did the "You're next." mean_…Castle stopped mid thought before realization hit, _Oh god, Kate._

* * *

><p><em>AN: Dun dun dunnnn (i would've linked a gif if i could coz i spent 10 mins looking for one but apparently no links)_  
><em>_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Okay so this chapter kinda focuses on a short span of time but it still passes the 1.1K mark I try to…pass._

* * *

><p>"Ryan, its Castle." He said into the phone as he rushed out his front door. "Beckett's in danger. Send someone over to her apartment."<p>

"I'll call dispatch right now. What'd you mean she's in danger?" Ryan asked from the other end.

"It's…I'll explain later, just send someone over as quickly as you can."

It was quite late, past midnight, but the streets of Manhattan were still full of life. Castle hailed a cab and gave Beckett's address telling the driver that it was an emergency. He could be wrong about this. It could be just a coincidence. For the first time ever, Castle wanted to be wrong. Maybe the location of the murders meant nothing and it had nothing to do with Kate. The short drive from his loft to her apartment felt like eternity. Trying to reassure himself, he tried her phone…nothing; it went straight to voicemail, "Kate, its Castle. Call me back, I think I found something."

* * *

><p>Upon arriving at her apartment building, he was joined shortly by two police officers. Making their way to her apartment, Castle noticed her front door was wide open. "Maybe she forgot to close it?" One of them suggested in vain.<p>

"She wouldn't." Castle replied as the cops rolled into her apartment and Castle followed closely behind.

The first thing they noticed was that it was too quiet. "Shh. I think I hear something." Castle said. Surely enough there was a muffled sound coming from the bedroom.

Rushing to the door and kicking it down, Castle beat the cops to entering her bedroom. He wasn't wrong. There was Kate with the most terrified expression he's ever seen on her and a knife to her throat. "Kate," he breathed out.

"Don't come any closer." The man holding the knife, who it was safe to assume was the killer, warned them.

"Okay, just calm down." Castle raised his hands gesturing he intended to do what he was told all the while trying to sound calm as his eyes flickered from Kate to their killer. The cops behind him had their guns drawn but couldn't shoot because they didn't have a clear shot. They could, the guy was armed but taking the shot would be risking Kate as well.

A few silent seconds later, Castle noticed Beckett motioning to the chest of drawers right beside him. She knew the uniforms wouldn't take a shot unless they were 100% sure that they had a clear one. But by the time they could do that, she'd probably be dead. Castle on the other hand, wouldn't hesitate taking a shot if it meant saving her. Yes, there wasn't a clear shot and she didn't know if Castle was any good with a gun. It could also quite possibly hit her but it wouldn't be fatal…hopefully. The psychotic killer with the knife to her throat, however, would be.

Castle realized what she was trying to tell him. Top drawer on the left, that's where she kept her emergency backup piece; a Beretta Px4, it was a small gun but did the job, 9mm so it packed a punch. If he could be quick, there was a chance he could get it out without giving the killer a chance to react to it. He took the risk and did exactly that. "Put it down." Castle said once he had the gun in his hand.

"You won't shoot." The killer taunted.

"What makes you so sure?" Castle asked, gun trained at his direction.

"You'll probably hit her if you try you get me."

"He's right." The cops from behind him echoed.

"Take the shot Rick." Beckett said with difficulty, followed by a whimper as he pressed the knife harder against her.

A few tense seconds passed, maybe even a whole minute, whatever it was, it felt a lot longer than what it actually was. Castle was still contemplating whether to take the shot. He was alright with a gun, he had a carry permit. Then again, who didn't? And he hasn't had any practice in a while. There wasn't a way out of this other than with her dead. And he couldn't let that happen. Even if the bullet he fired hit her, it wouldn't be fatal…hopefully. Castle took a deep breath which made it look like he was going to lower his weapon, only he did just the opposite.

Within a fraction of a second, the killer was on the ground writhing in pain and bleeding out his stomach. _Kate_, she had managed to crawl away from him but not by much before she collapsed. As the cops rushed over to arrest their guy, Castle rushed over to Beckett who had managed to sit up with her back against her bed.

"Hey," He started cautiously as his eyes scanned her body.

"Hey," She replied, barely audible.

Castle's eyes stopped on her left side, below her ribcage where she had her hands pressed against. The t-shirt she was wearing was growing more and more red when he realized. "Oh god." He breathed out as he put his hand over hers.

Kate shook her head with difficulty, muttering a string of no's "It's alright, I'm okay."

Just as Castle was about to respond, one of the uniforms called out, "Paramedics are five minutes away." He nodded and turned back to Beckett.

"Kate I'm so sorry I shouldn't ha–"

She shushed him "Don't. I'll be fine, it's not that bad. It won't even leave a mark." Her voice was slow, hoarse and out of breath.

Castle began to nod slowly when his eyes caught another glimpse of red. His free hand carefully rose to her throat where the killer was holding the knife. As he fell, the blade must've dragged across her skin. "It's just a just a scratch." He confirmed more to himself than Kate.

"I can barely feel it," She muttered as her eyes began to slide close.

"Hey, hey, hey." Castle raised the hand from her neck to cup her cheek, "Stay with me, paramedics will be here in a few minutes." She hummed in response doing her best to keep her eyes open.

"Talk to me." He said in an attempt to keep her awake till the paramedics arrived. "What did you do after you got home?"

"I went straight to bed." Her speech was beginning to slur.

"You didn't call me after getting home, only a text."

"I was too tired."

Castle nodded gently with a smile, "Good, keep going."

"I can't." Kate said as her eyes finally slid shut.

He sighed and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Moving her hand from where the bullet had grazed her to get a better look and he realized it was worse than what she was letting on. The bullet had ripped away at her skin, tearing off a large portion in the process. It wasn't clean either and was definitely going to need stitches…more than a couple. Making matters worse, it was also bleeding profusely. Other than that, her body didn't show any signs of injury but from the way she seemed, it was clear that she was in quite a bit of pain.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Early update coz I finished writing it and just need to give them a once over before uploading so the rest will be up in like a day or two. _


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: One more chapter to go. I'll probably put it up later today..._

* * *

><p>Beckett had come to by the time they'd reached the hospital. The bleeding from the bullet graze had only gotten worse leaving Castle with a bloody shirt and hands. But it didn't matter; he didn't give a second thought to anything other than Kate right then. He had been by her side since the moment the paramedics had gotten her to the emergency room; doing his best to reassure himself more than her that she was alright.<p>

A couple of x-rays, tests and eleven stitches later, the doctor let them know that she would be fine within a couple of weeks, but asked Beckett to stay off of her wrist for at least a month. The killer had done a number on her; sprained wrist, a couple of bruised ribs and a lot of bruises that would appear the next morning, but since there was nothing too serious, her doctor decided to discharge her. It was already two in the morning and Kate was tired.

* * *

><p>"I would've been fine on my own." She said to Castle as he walked into her room with an ice bag. He thought it would be best for her to <em>not<em> be alone right now.

"I'm not going anywhere." He replied as he walked over to her side of the bed. Getting down on his knees, he placed the ice bag underneath the comforter against her bruised ribs.

"How's that?" He asked.

Beckett winced as the cold touched her. "Cold…but it helps."

"It should stop the swelling." Castle said, pulling the blanket back over and gently pressing the ice bag against her as her body relaxed.

"I'm so sorry Kate." He said after a few silent seconds.

"Castle…" She tried to stop him.

"I shouldn't have take–"

"If you didn't I probably wouldn't be here right now." Beckett told him. "You _know_ that uniforms wouldn't have done anything until they had a clear shot. But by then it would've been too late."

"I should've been more careful." He settled.

"You did what you had to, you saved my life."

Castle forced himself to nod and gave her a small smile that disappeared as soon as it appeared, replaced with worry and concern.

"What's wrong?" Beckett strained to ask.

He sighed, "I thought I was gonna lose you."

She shook her head slowly, the cut at the base of her throat making it difficult. "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

><p>The remaining hours till 'morning' was longer than either of them had expected. It didn't take Kate too long to fall asleep. But she woke up more than a handful of times, sometimes just stirred awake, other times woke up gasping for breath.<p>

"Kate, what's wrong?" Castle asked once again.

"Nothing," She replied with the same answer she'd given him numerous times before.

"It's something; you've startled awake too many times for it to be nothing." He insisted, propping himself up on his elbow.

"It's nothing, Castle. Don't worry." Well, it was something but Beckett wasn't really one for talking about anything let alone this. She was getting nightmares and didn't want him to worry any more than he already was. _It's only normal_, she thought to herself. After something like that, Kate had expected to get nightmares and she wasn't on any strong medication either that would numb it out, just a little painkiller for the stitches.

"Are you getting nightmares?" He asked, almost reading her mind.

She was laying on her right side, her back to Castle. She didn't answer just let out a sigh in response and turned on her back.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"It wouldn't have made a difference and I didn't wanna worry you anymore."

Castle nodded reluctantly before a question he'd been meaning to ask popped back into his head. "Kate, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Who was he?"

Beckett shrugged, "I don't know. All he said was I was going to have to pay for what I did…? I don't really know what that meant."

He nodded. She's been part of the NYPD for a long time now, yeah, he's googled her; and in all her years, she was bound to have pissed off at least a handful of people. Most of them were too smart to do anything about it, unlike this guy. Castle didn't even know his name. "I forgot to tell you." He started as Kate looked at him. "Ryan and Esposito said they're gonna drop by sometime tomorrow morning for a statement."

"I just hope they can get him to talk. Killed all those people for virtually nothing."

Soon enough they were back asleep…well, Castle was, there were too many things on Beckett's mind making it difficult for her to sleep, and that paired with the dull ache all over her body, made it impossible.

* * *

><p>The knock on her door woke them up; Kate hadn't had more than a couple of hours sleep. "I'll get it." Castle said as he got up and she followed, trying to sit up.<p>

"Oh…?" She let out a surprised grunt of pain.

"What's wrong?" He asked his voice full of concern as he turned back, already halfway to the door.

"Nothing," she gasped out. Her entire body was sore; more so than she'd expected it to be. Every little movement hurt.

"Kate?" Castle asked.

Beckett shook her head briefly; stopping as the sharp pang of pain on her throat told her to stop. "Get the door, I'm fine." She reassured him with a smile.

He nodded reluctantly and walked out the door to let in the very impatient detectives Ryan and Esposito.

"Where's captain?" Was the first thing he heard as the door swung open, it was Espo.

Ryan followed shortly with a more welcomed greeting "Hey, how's she doing?"

"She's alright, yeah." Castle replied as they walked past him into the living room.

"Where's Beckett?" Esposito asked again impatiently.

"She's in her room, give her a minute." Castle answered as he made his way back to her room to check what was taking her so long.

"Hey, you alright?" Castle asked gently as he walked in.

Beckett was still in bed. "Just a little sore." She didn't want to worry him anymore.

Suspiciously, he moved over to the bed and sat down next to her. "Seems like a bit more than a little." He cupped her cheek where a bruise was now visible.

Kate flinched as his thumb brushed over it. "Sorry," He said, quickly withdrawing his hand.

"It's alright." She replied as she began to get up.

"Morning." Ryan greeted her as Beckett walked into the living room and made her way to the couch.

"Morning," She replied as Castle sat down next to her. "Found anything?" She asked Ryan and Esposito who were standing opposite them.

"We found out what his motive was." Espo began and she urged him to continue. "Daniel Edwards, ring a bell?" He asked and continued when Beckett shook her head. "He was a guy we put behind bars half a decade ago."

"Michael Edwards, he's our guy." Ryan picked up. "He's Dan's younger brother…and he's convinced that Michael was wrongfully convicted."

Kate felt her stomach twist, "Was…was he wrongfully convicted?"

"No," Espo started again. "It was a long case, a lot of twists and turns. A lot of suspects but we got the right guy. Evidence, confession, everything."

"But not in a way that it seemed suspicious either." Ryan added.

"Then why does Daniel think that his brother's innocent?" Castle joined the conversation.

"He was around sixteen back then, close to his brother, wouldn't believe that he could do something like that. Never got over it."

"So he thought Kate was responsible for putting his brother away?" Castle asked.

Ryan nodded, "She was the lead detective. We didn't seem important to him."

"Thank god for that." Beckett said. "Rather a psycho killer go after one cop than three."

"He told us everything but we still need a statement from you." Ryan said.

"Right," Beckett sighed. "I walked in, my door was locked and everything inside seemed to be in place. I put my gun and badge away in the safe in my office and went to the bedroom." She paused.

"He was hiding under the bed." She continued as Castle put his arm around her. "I don't know how he got in, CSU said they checked the windows and door for signs of tampering; but they didn't find any."

"Were all your windows locked?" Espo asked.

"Yeah," Beckett nodded. "Haven't opened them in a while."

"Alright, well, we'll get going then, thanks." He said as they began to walk away.

"Cap'n?" Ryan stopped at the door. "When can we expect you back?"

Beckett smiled, "About a week I'd say."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Well that was longer than i'd expected._


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: So…another time jump I guess. And FINAL CHAPTER!_

* * *

><p>It was a slow and boring week for Beckett, but having Castle there made it a lot better. Within a couple of days, she was feeling a lot better and by the end of the month, she felt like nothing ever happened; other than her wrist, which was taking longer than she had expected. Although Kate was fine physically there were the nightmares. At first they didn't seem that bad. The night after, the week after, even the month after the incident, she was fine. They weren't making her wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air; well most of them weren't, so that was a good sign.<p>

It had been almost three months since then and the nightmares still hadn't stopped, they toned down a bit, sure; but there's nothing Kate wanted now more than a dreamless sleep. Some were worse than others but the worst ones were the ones when Beckett couldn't remember why she had startled awake at three in the morning feeling like she can't breathe. Castle and she had spent a few nights together before the nightmares intensified. Last Friday night was supposed to be nothing more than a movie night but…it turned into a lot more. This led to that and after a while they were a tangle of sheets and limbs. So that became a regular thing for them.

The first night she startled awake, she woke up Castle as well. He was worried and Kate blew it off as though it wasn't a big deal. It became a recurring thing and she began spending fewer nights with Castle. Partially because she didn't want him to worry about her anymore and because she didn't want him to see her like that…afraid and vulnerable. Not that she for one second thought that Castle would try and use that against her, Beckett just wasn't the kind of person that liked showing that side of her.

"How're you doing?" Castle asked a couple of days later.

"I'm fine, why?" Kate asked back, turning her head to look at him. She had just gotten back from work and they were cuddled together on her couch watching whatever was on TV, they weren't so much as watching TV but enjoying each other's company.

"The thing that happened with Michael Edwards." He elaborated.

"I'm fine." She repeated with a reassuring nod.

"You just never talk about it and it seems like you're pulling away."

Kate stifled a yawn; it had been a long day. Shaking her head slightly, she continued, "There's nothing to talk about, whatever happened, happened."

Castle sighed as he kissed her forehead, "Alright."

* * *

><p>The next few months were uneventful, and neither Beckett nor Castle were complaining. Life fell back into a routine; which wasn't nearly as lonely and boring as it had been a few months back. Soon Kate found herself opening up to Castle, little things, but they mattered to her like, why she had the elephants on her desk or about when she moved to this apartment, "My old one blew up." That received a confused look from Castle, which led to a long story. He began to feel closer to her; it seemed like a big step for someone like Kate Beckett to be able to open up to anyone and Castle was glad that that someone was him.<p>

"Hey," Castle said as he walked into her office and placed a coffee mug on her desk.

"Hey," She said back. "What are you doing here?"

"Just dropping something off." He said a bit too casually. "Somewhere I have to be."

"Oh," Beckett said as she stood up and walked around her desk to him. "I thought we had plans tonight."

"We do." Castle replied like it was no big deal. "Can't believe it's been a whole year." He said, his voice dropping the act.

"I know, feels crazy." She agreed.

"I know we agreed on no presents but…" He said as he held out a brown paper bag out for her. "I have something."

"Cas–" Kate began to protest.

"Just go through, I think you'll like it."

"I didn't get you anything." She said, tilting her head slightly.

Castle turned his eyes to the bag he was holding, "You did."

Beckett squinted her eyes in confusion. "I don't get it. What's in there?"

"You're no fun." He pretended to be annoyed which made her smile. "You'll understand once you see what it is." Setting the bag down on her desk, he kissed her goodbye "I'll pick you up at eight."

They didn't have any plans so to speak; "Nothing big, okay?" Kate had made him promise. Dinner and the rest of the night to…umm, keep each other company. But right now the only thing on her mind was the brown bag sitting on her desk. Moving back to her chair and sitting down, she picked it up. Hmm, heavier than it looked. Finally she looked inside the bag and pulled it out. It was a book. Well sort of, it was too big and flimsy for a regular book and there was nothing on the cover other than a post-it, clearly written by Castle, "Skim through it, read the acknowledgments." was all it said.

Flipping over the cover, there was another note written on the inside, also by Castle "If you didn't get it already, it's the manuscript for my new book." Kate smiled; it'd been forever since he's written anything. "Heat Wave." She whispered to herself as she read the title on the opposite page. As she turned over, four words caught her eyes "To the extraordinary KB."

There wasn't much work so she spent the day reading through Castle's new book, so to speak. It was good, really good. A huge step-up from his last one. It felt like Richard Castle, Derrick-Storm Richard Castle. Reading his last book made her feel like it was a completely different writer, it was…bad. By the end of the day, she was over a 100 pages in, yes, he asked her to just skim through it but that didn't feel right. Looking at the clock, Beckett realized it was past 6:30 and turned to the end of the book because Castle had asked her to read the acknowledgement. Reading through it, Kate couldn't help but smile, it was pretty clear that she meant something to him, only she didn't know how much until she read the acknowledgements.

* * *

><p>"Hey," Castle said as he walked in to her apartment and up to her.<p>

"Hey," Beckett greeted him with a soft kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You look great."

"Not too bad yourself, Castle." She replied playfully.

"Did you read it?" He asked cautiously.

"I did." Castle didn't respond, just waited for her to continue instead she kissed him again.

"So…you liked it?" He asked hesitantly.

Kate just nodded with a smile. "I went through the acknowledgements too."

He waited anxiously for her to continue, unsure whether it was too much to dump on her all at once. They've been taking _this_, them, lightly and never really talked about it but she's made an impact on his life, neither _Nikki Heat_ nor _Heat Wave_ would be here right now if it weren't for her.

"You based her character on me?" Kate asked.

Castle nodded, "Yeah, it was impossible not to draw inspiration from you."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile.

"I meant every word." He started again. "My life's changed a lot, for the better, since you came along. And I love you, Kate; I just wanted you to know that."

Beckett smile at him, "I love you too."

They spent a few minutes in silence, just content in each others' arms. "We should get going." Castle broke the silence. "We'll be late."

"Yeah," Beckett replied as they linked arms and made their way to the door. "I forgot to ask, where'd you go today?"

Castle smiled before answering, "The publisher."

"What?" She stopped in her tracks. "What…what did they say?"

"They loved it. They think it'll be a good comeback for me. There might even be more than one Nikki Heat book. They think it could work as a series"

"Castle that's amazing." Kate smiled before continuing. "One thing though," She said after locking the front door. "Nikki Heat, what's with the name?"

"I knew it would tick you off." He replied almost instantly. "Also I can get some pretty awesome titles out of it."

* * *

><p><em>AN:I just feel like this is a nice place to stop. I kinda just wanted AU!Beckett to get a shot at a happy ending 'cause thinking about her life without Castle killed me on the inside. So yeah, thanks for reading and following and favorite-ing and reviewing. _


End file.
